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plan by the Riau provincial administration to purchase official cars for councilors has sparked criticism, with the cost being considered too expensive.

The Riau provincial administration has allocated almost Rp 70 billion (US$5.8 million) to purchase 247 new official cars, 66 of which will be distributed to provincial councilors and the council speaker.

Criticism began as it was later revealed that among the cars to be purchased was a 3,500 cc jeep worth Rp 3.1 billion and a 2,500 cc sedan worth Rp 1.8 billion allocated for the Riau Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD I) speaker.

'€œIn total, Rp 4.9 billion is to be spent on buying official cars for a legislative council speaker. This is wasteful spending that has nothing to do with the public interest,'€ the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) Riau coordinator Usman said on Thursday.

Usman said that if the administration was sensitive and pro-people, the budget must be allocated to more productive activities or converted into subsidies for students from economically poor families.

The same criticism was also expressed by the chairman of the Association of Islamic Students'€™ (HMI) Great Sumatra branch, Mizan Musthofa, saying the purchase of the official cars must be cancelled.

'€œWe should switch the fund to activities that can be directly felt by the public,'€ Mizan said.

Condemnation also came from the chairman of the Malay Customary Institution (LAM) executive board member Al Azhar, who said the purchase was excessive.

'€œExcessive luxury is not in accordance with Malay cultural values in the community in Riau,'€ he said.

Separately, the head of the provincial administration secretariat'€™s purchase and asset inventory division, Ahmad Fadillah, said Rp 3.1 billion for the purchase of the jeep was still an estimated price.

'€œThe process is entering a rebuttal period to accommodate objections regarding the stage and process of the purchase, so there is no confirmation yet,'€ Fadillah said.

He said the purchase had been conducted according to the prevailing regulation and the budget had not yet exceeded the allowed amount.

'€œThe purchase of a jeep for the legislative council speaker'€™s field operational vehicle is normal,'€ said Fadillah, adding that the vehicle currently used by the council speaker was the property of the provincial administration.

Responding to the criticism, Riau DPRD I speaker Suparman said the case should not be exaggerated if no regulation had been violated.

'€œA provincial legislative council speaker gets two operational cars, just like the head of the provincial administration,'€ he said, adding that the budget had been made even before he was sworn in as Riau council speaker.